Marjorie Joyner
Marjorie Joyner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marjorie Stewart Template:Birth date Monterey, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | December 27, 1994 (aged 98) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, educator, philanthropist, activist, inventor |
| Known for | First African-American woman to patent a permanent wave hair device |
Marjorie Joyner (born Stewart; October 24, 1896 – December 27, 1994) was an influential American entrepreneur, educator, philanthropist, activist, and innovator in hair care. She holds the distinction of being the first African-American woman to develop and patent a device for permanent hair waving. In addition to her contributions to beauty technology, Joyner was a prominent figure within Chicago’s African-American community, where she led the Chicago Defender Charity organization and coordinated events such as the Bud Billiken Day Parade to benefit area schools.
Early life and education
Joyner was born in 1896 in Monterey, Virginia to George Emmanuel Stewart, who worked as a teacher, and Annie Stewart (née Daugherty). The family relocated to Dayton, Ohio in 1904. Following her parents’ divorce in 1907, she spent time living with various relatives throughout Ohio and Virginia. At age 16, in 1912, Joyner moved to Chicago to join her mother. There, she obtained a certificate in dramatic arts from Chicago Musical College in 1914 and became the first African American to graduate from A.B. Moler Beauty School in 1916. She later completed her high school education in 1939 and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bethune-Cookman College in 1973 when she was 77 years old.
Career
Soon after finishing beauty school, Joyner launched her own salon. She then worked as a sales representative for Madam C. J. Walker, a leading African-American entrepreneur in the beauty industry. By 1920, she was overseeing 200 of Walker’s beauty schools nationwide as a national adviser, responsible for training approximately 15,000 stylists and mentoring sales agents engaged in direct marketing. After her period with Walker’s company, Joyner took charge of product development initiatives, including creating her patented permanent wave machine. She also contributed to drafting Illinois’ inaugural cosmetology regulations during the early 1940s. On October 27, 1945, Joyner co-established the sorority and fraternity Alpha Chi Pi Omega alongside educator Mary McLeod Bethune and Congressman William Dawson, with the goal of promoting advancement within the beauty field. That same year, she collaborated with Bethune to found the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association, a national organization representing African-American beauticians. Throughout the 1940s, Joyner served as an advisor to the Democratic National Committee and several New Deal programs concerning outreach efforts targeting African-American women.
Permanent wave design
In 1919, seeking a more convenient way to curl hair, Joyner drew inspiration from a cooking technique involving paper pins used in pot roast preparation that accelerated cooking time. She experimented with paper rods and devised a table apparatus designed for curling or straightening hair by wrapping it around rods, allowing hairstyles to maintain their shape for multiple days. Early feedback highlighted discomfort during use, prompting her to incorporate a scalp protector into the curling process. Her patent (U.S. pat. #1,693,515) earned her recognition as the first African American woman awarded a patent—a point occasionally contested by references to Sarah E. Goode. Although she did not invent the permanent wave machine originally—an invention attributed to Karl Nessler in England during the late 1800s—Joyner’s variation offered an alternative design that gained popularity among both African American and white clientele in salons. The patent was assigned to Walker’s company; however, Joyner received minimal financial compensation from this arrangement.
Personal life and death
At the age of 19, Joyner wed podiatrist Robert E. Joyner on April 4, 1916. Their marriage lasted until his passing in 1973, and together they had two daughters named Anne and Barbara. Joyner passed away from heart failure on December 27, 1994, at her residence located in Chicago's Bronzeville area, at the age of 98.
Legacy
In 1987, the Smithsonian Institution showcased both Joyner's permanent wave apparatus and a reproduction of her initial salon. Chicago commemorated her 95th birthday on October 24, 1990, by declaring the day as Marjorie Stewart Joyner Day. Her archival materials are preserved within the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of African-American History and Literature at the Chicago Public Library.
Further reading
See also
- African-American business history
- List of African-American inventors and scientists
- Timeline of United States inventions
References
External links
- 1896 births
- 1994 deaths
- African-American inventors
- 20th-century American inventors
- American cosmetics businesspeople
- American make-up artists
- Bethune–Cookman University alumni
- Businesspeople from Illinois
- Businesspeople from Virginia
- Madam C. J. Walker
- People from Highland County, Virginia
- 20th-century African-American businesspeople
- African-American women in business
- 20th-century American women inventors
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century American businesswomen